Tape dispenser



G. W. EMMERT TAPE DISPENSER Jan. 1, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 26, 1955.

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j/AM/M G. W. EMMERT Jan. 1, 1957 TAPE DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26, 1955 IN VEN TOR.

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United States Patent 7 Claims. (Cl. 2'4255.5)

This invention pertains to the art of dispensing tape,

and more particularly to an improved dispenser espe- 1 daily suitable for dispensing, and severing to desired length, may of a great variety of kinds of pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes such as surgical tape, decorative tape, light reflective tape, electrical insulating tape, water-proofing tape and many others, all of which are ordinarily produced in roll form and commonly consist of a plastic, paper or cloth body portion having a coating of pressuresensiti-ve adhesive material on one of its sides.

Great strides have been made in recent years in the development of improved tapes of the kind just stated. In the main, these developments have been directed toward the production of tapes that have greater adhesive qualities and are tougher, more resilient, and more durable than those previously known. Along with these developments, however, problems 'of considerable proportions have arisen in the marketing of the new tapes because of the lack of adequate, inexpensive means by which the consumer may conveniently handle the tapes during their-use or application. Inasmuch as many of the new tapes can not readily be torn -by hand, the rolls of tape are more readily salable if they are sold in conjunction with, or the-consumer otherwise has available, a device for holding a roll of the tape while a desired length of tape is withdrawn from the roll, and :for thereupon severing the length of tape from the roll. Mere severing of the tape, however, is not the only problem involved. Because of their greater adhesive qualities many o'f-the tapes tend very strongly -to adhere to substantially any ,-firm surface. Thus, when a length of tape :has been severed from 'a roll it is thereafter inconvenient and sometimes difficult, preparatory to drawing out another length for severance, to lift the end of the tape that is :still attached to the roll. This is especially true when the end to be lifted lies with its adhesive side :in contact with a surface that supported it during the preceding cutting action or lies in contact with the body of the roll itself.

One of the principal objects of the present invention -to provide an inexpensive and easily fabricated tape discondition, dispenser having a cover with a blade thereon that is moved as a jaw into cutting contact with the bridged portion of the tape at a location between the upstanding surfaces but closely adjacent to the surface most remote from the roll of tape. During the actual cutting, the tape is firmly supported by the last mentioned surface as well as by the upstanding surface located closest to the roll of tape but, when severance of the tape has been completed, the end of the tape attached to the roll remains detachably adhered to the latter surface and hangs freely in tab-like fashion in the unobstructed space between the surfaces in position readily to be grasped in the fingers preparatory to withdrawal of another length of tape from the roll.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tape dispenser of the kind just described wherein the roll of tape is completely enclosed and protected from dirt and the like, and wherein the cutting-blade carrying cover, in its closed and cutting position, encloses the unobstructed space between the two upstanding surfaces and thus maintains the freely hanging tab-like end of the tape in protected condition. Still another object of the invention is to provide a dispenser having all of the qualities referred rev-above wherein the roll of tape may easily and inexpensively be placed in the dispenser by the manufacturer and sold in condition .for immediate use by the consumer, but wherein the roll of tape may easily be removed fromthe dispenser by the consumer for use as desired and thereupon be replaced in the dispenser in condition for immediate dispensation therefrom.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

:Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the present dispenser with its cover in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe dispenser .showing the cover in open position;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the dispenser, again with the cover in open position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-section of i the upper portion of the dispenser, showing a .roll of .penser having improved means therein for supporting I and cutting selected lengths of pressure-sensitive adhesive tape withdrawn from a roll of the tape, and for thereafter retaining the end of the tape that is still attached to the roll in an exposed and 'readily accessible position where it can easily and conveniently be grasped in the fingers preparatory to the withdrawal of another length of tape from the roll. A further object of the invention is -to provide a tape dispenser of the character just stated wherein the tape is adequately supported in a relatively taut condition for ease of cutting and "wherein, after the tape has been severed, the end of the tape remaining attached -to the roll hangs freely in space. To this end, the dispenser of the present invention is ,provided with -a pair-of upstanding spaced apart surfaces, with an unobstruoted space therebetween, over which a length of tape to be severed may be adhesively bridged in relatively taut tape in the dispenser and illustrating the manner in which the free end of the tape is anchored by the manufacture in position readily accessible to the consumer;

Fig. .5 is a similar view, on a slightly reduced scale, showing the position of a length of tape that has been withdrawn from the .roll preparatory to cutting, the cover being advanced toward .its closed position and the cutting blade on the cover being ready to engage and sever the tape;

Fig. 6' is a view like Fig. 5, but showing the cutting blade actually engaged in the cutting operation;

.Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the relation of the parts after the cutting action has been completed, the end of the tape attached to the roll hanging freely in the space enclosed by the cover where it can be easily grasped when the cover .is again opened and can thereupon be used to pull more tape from the troll;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged vertical section taken through the dispenser substantially along the :line 88 in Fig. 2, but showing the cover in \closed position and showing the tape adhesivel-y adhering to the upper side of the first of the two upstanding surfaces; and

Fig. 9 .is an enlarged exploded horizontal section taken through the dispenser substantially along the line .9--9 in Fig. 2, showing the manner in which the front face-of the casing may he removed from the dispenser to permit easy removal of the roll -.of tape therefrom.

The dispenser :shown in the drawing is of three-piece construction (comprising .a two-piece casing and a cover therefor. The casing per se has two principal portions and 11, each of which may be easily and inexpensively molded of plastic or the like, and the cover, which will be described in greater detail later, may be fabricated of metal or of any other material or combination of materials such as will provide a cutting edge suitable for severing the particular kind of tape to be dispensed. The portion 10 of the casing comprises the greater part of the casing per se and, broadly speaking, is cup-shaped to provide an upstanding rear wall 12 of the casing and integral forwardly extending side walls 13 and 14 and a bottom wall 15. As shown in the drawings, the bottom wall 15 may be fiat to provide a base upon which the dispenser may rest in upright position and the side walls 13 and 14 may extend upwardly from the opposite ends of the bottom wall in graceful curves to give the dispenser an external configuration that is easy to hold in the hand and is pleasing to the eye.

A hollow cylindrical hub element 16 is formed integrally with the rear wall 12 at its approximate center and extends forwardly therefrom to receive and rotatably support a core 17 of a roll of tape 18 which is retained on the hub element and enclosed within the casing by the portion 11 which constitutes the front face or wall of the dispenser. This front face is shaped substantially like the rear wall 12 of the casing but is easily removable from the remainder of the casing, the inner sides of the forward-most edges of the bottom wall 15 and the side walls 13 and 14 having a recessed shoulder 19 formed thereon (see particularly Figs. 8 and 9) for receiving the front face in a position flush with these edges. The front face 11 has an inwardly extending hollow cylindrical sleeve 20 formed thereon which is received in a snug sliding fit within the hub element 16 when the front face is applied to the dispenser, the sleeve 20 having a wedge 21 formed on its outer surface which slides into a corresponding wedge-shaped opening 22 provided in the hubelemcnt. The sliding fit of the wedge 21 within the wedge-shaped opening 22 retains the face 11 in place on the casing and, if desired the inner surface of the hub element 16 and the mating outer surface of the sleeve 20 may be provided with slight tapers for the same purpose, the fit being such that the face 11 is retained in place but can easily be removed by pulling the face axially outwardly away from remainder of the casing. To assist in this ready removal of the face 11, the side walls 13 and 14 of the casing are provided with depressions 23 which are overhung by the outer edges of the face at 24 on opposite sides of the face. The edge portions of the face thus exposed may easily be gripped by the fingers so as to pull the face off of the casing, as illustrated in Fig. 9.

The upper end of the side wall 13 of the casing is turned inwardly and then downwardly to provide an up standing curved surface 25. From this surface the wall extends downwardly to provide a vertical wall 26 and then extends across the dispenser toward the opposite side wall 14 to form a saddle-shaped portion 27, the innermost end of which is raised to provide another upwardly extending curved surface 28 which is spaced from the side wall 14. As will be seen in the drawings, the space between the two upstanding surfaces and 28 is unobstructed when the cover is open and the space between the surface 28 and the side wall 14 of the casing is ample to permit a length of tape to be withdrawn therethrough from the roll 18.

The upper end of the side wall 14 extends upwardly above the adjacent level of the upper edges of the back wall 12 and the front face 11 of the dispenser, and is provided 'on its opposite sides with a pair of short bosses 29 which rotatably receive the cover 30 for the casing. This cover, if desired, may be fabricated from a single piece of sheet metal and is provided with depending side flanges 31 that are provided adjacent their corresponding ends with openings for receiving the bosses 29. At the other end of the cover the central portion of the cover is bent downwardly to provide a pointed blade 32 which is utilized to cut the tape, in a manner about to be described,

' when the cover is moved from its open position to its closed position.

Inasmuch as the present tape dispenser is comprised of only three separate pieces, two of which (portions 10 and 11) may be easily molded of plastic, the dispenser is very inexpensive to manufacture. It is also very easy, and therefore inexpensive, to assemble on a production basis. The dispenser, for example, may be supplied to a tape manufacturer in a semi-assembled condition, that is, with the cover 30 mounted upon the portion 10, but with the face 11 of the dispenser removed. In this condition the dispenser may be quickly loaded with tape in the manner best illustrated in Fig. 4. A short length of tape 33, having a paper or plastic tab 34 adhesively secured upon its outer end, is pulled from the roll 18. The roll is then slipped onto the hub element 16 and the length of tape 33 is quickly pressed upon the upstanding surface 28 to anchor it in position wherein the tab 34 hangs freely in the unobstructed space between the upstanding surfaces 28 and 25. The cover 30 is then moved to closed position, and assembly is completed merely by placing the front face 11 on the dispenser, during which operation the sleeve 20 on the front face is received within the hub 16in a snug sliding fit and the wedge 21 is received in the wedge-shaped opening 22, thereby holding the face 11 in place. When this simple sequence of operations has been completed the dispenser is'ready to i be placed on the market.

When the consumer has received the dispenser and is about to make the initial dispensation of tape therefrom, he lifts the cover 30, grips the tab 34 '(Fig. 4) in the fingers, and lifts the length of tape 33 from the upstanding surface 28. He thereupon withdraws from the roll 18 a strip of tape of the length desired. The withdrawn length of tape is then bridged in a relatively taut condition across the upstanding surfaces 28 and 25 (as shown in Fig. 5) and the cover is then moved to closed position. During the closing movement of the cover 30 it will be noted that the cover cooperates with the upper portion of the dispenser body in a jaw-like fashion. That is, the cover 30 serves as one jaw and the top portion of the dispenser body, and more particularly the saddle.- shaped element 25, 26, 27, 28 thereof, serves as the other jaw. As the cover approaches its closed position the pointed blade 32 penetrates the tape and then severs the same from its center outwardly toward its opposite edges at a location in the unobstructed space between the upstanding surfaces 25 and 28 but closely adjacent the surface 25, as illustrated in Fig. 6. Downward force of the blade upon the tape normally deflects the bridged portion of the tape downwardly slightly into the unob structed space between the two upstanding surfaces 25 and 28, this result being more pronounced with tapes of greater resiliency. This downward deflection of the tape in the vicinity immediately adjacent the upstanding surface 25 causes an increased area of the tape to come into contact with the rounded surface 25, thereby increasing the holding force on the tape at the surface 25. This result, plus the fact that the outer portion of the upstanding surface 25 and the adjacent outer surface of the side wall 13 provide a very considerable area to which the tape adheres, insures positive anchoring of the outer end of the bridged portion of the tape during the severing operation.

As best seen in Figs. 6 and 7, the cutting of the bridged portion of the tape between the upstanding surfaces 25 and 28 takes place closely adjacent the inner side of the upstanding surface 25, the blade 32 lying alongside the vertical wall 26 when the cover is in closed position. Thus, when the cutting action has been completed, the major portion 35 (Fig. 7) of thepreviously bridged part ofthe tape remains adhered to the upstanding surface 28 and its free end hangs in tab-like fashion in the unobstructed space between the upstanding surfaces 25 and 28 where it can easily and conveniently be grasped in the fingers preparatory to withdrawal of another length of tape from the roll 18 when the cover is again raised. The severed length of tape 36, on the other hand, adheres to the upstanding surface on the exterior of the casing and may easily be removed therefrom for use as desired. It will be noted that the cover 30, together with its side flanges 31, completely encloses and covers the space between the upstanding surfaces 25 and 28, thereby protecting the free-handing tab-like portion 35 from dirt and the like.

With the dispenser and the tape therein in their normal conditions (illustrated in Fig. 7), the cover may be retained in its closed position by a pair of inwardly directed dimples 37 which cooperate with the side edges of that portion of the saddle-like element 27 which forms the upstanding surface 28, the dimples riding over these edges as the cover is moved to closed position.

As previously indicated, another feature of the present dispenser is the ease with which the consumer may remove the roll of tape 18 for use without the dispenser. This is accomplished merely by removing the front face 11 of the dispenser (Fig. 9), opening the cover 30 and detaching the tab-like portion of the tape from the upstanding surface 28, and then sliding the roll and its core 17 off of the hub element 16. When separate use of the roll has been completed, the consumer may easily reinstall the roll in the dispenser by reversing this procedure, the tab-like portion 35 of the tape again then hanging freely in the space between the upstanding surfaces 28 and 25 where it can be grasped in the fingers preparatory to pulling another length of tape from the roll in the dispenser.

The foregoing description of one embodiment of the present invention has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be implied therefrom, for it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous variations and changes may be made in the dispenser without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispenser for pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, comprising a casing for enclosing a roll of said tape, first and second upstanding spaced apart surfaces on said casing, said surfaces having an unobstructed space therebetween, a cover member on said casing movable between open position and a closed position, means in said casing for rotatably supporting said roll oftape in position wherein a length of tape may be Withdrawn from said roll under tension in a longitudinal bridging path across said surfaces and across said unobstructed space therebetween, said tape detachably adhering to said surfaces and the portion of said tape bridging said space being thereby maintained in relatively taut condition, and a tape severing blade on said cover moved into severing contact with said relatively taut bridged portion of said tape between said surfaces at a location closely adjacent said second surface when said cover is moved into said closed position, that portion of said tape previously bridging said space in relatively taut condtion remaining, after its severance, detachably adhered at one of its ends to said first upstanding surface and hanging freely in said space in tab-like fashion in position readily to be grasped preparatory to withdrawal of another length of tape from said roll.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein said cover in its closed position encloses said space and thereby maintains said freely hanging portion of said tape in said space in protected condition.

3. A dispenser for pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, comprising a casing for enclosing a roll of said tape, first and second upstanding spaced apart surfaces on said casing, said surfaces having an unobstructed space therebetween of sufficient size to receive a finger tip, means in said casing for rotatably supporting said roll of tape in position wherein a length of tape may be grasped and manually withdrawn from said roll under tension in a bridging path extending across the first one of said surfaces then across said unobstructed space and across the second one of said surfaces, said tape detachably adhering to said surfaces and the portion of said tape bridging said space being thereby maintained in relatively taut condition when the withdrawn length of tape is released from the hand, and a tape severing blade movably mounted on said casing and movable into severing contact with said relatively taut bridged portion of said tape between said surfaces at a location closely adjacent said second surface, that portion of said tape previously bridging said space in relatively taut condition remaining, after its severance, detachably adhered at one of its ends to said first upstanding surface and hanging freely in said space in tab-like fashion in position readily to be grasped preparatory to withdrawal of another length of tape from said roll.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3, wherein said blade is mounted for pivotal movement with respect to said casing.

5. The combination set forth in claim 3. wherein said casing includes a pair of spaced apart walls adapted to receive and rotatably confine said roll of tape therebetween, one of said walls being readily removable from said casing to permit easy removal of said roll of tape from said casing.

6. A dispenser for pressuresensitive adhesive tape, comprising a frame, first and second upstanding spaced apart surfaces on said frame, said surfaces having an unobstructed space therebetween of sufficient size to receive a finger tip, means on said frame for rotatably supporting a roll of said tape in position wherein a length of tape may be grasped and manually withdrawn under tension from said roll in a bridging path extending across the first one of said surfaces then across said unobstructed space and across the second one of said surfaces, said tape detachably adhering to said surfaces and the portion of said tape bridging said space being thereby maintained in relatively taut condition when the with drawn length of tape is released from the hand, and a tape severing blade movably mounted with respect to said frame and movable into severing contact with said relatively taut bridged portion of said tape between said surfaces at a location closely adjacent said second surface, that portion of said tape previously bridging said space in relatively taut condition remaining, after its severance, detachably adhered at one of its ends to said first upstanding surface and hanging freely in said space in tab-like fashion in position readily to be grasped preparatory to withdrawal of another length of tape from said roll.

7. A dispenser for pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, comprising a pair of jaws movable between open and closed positions, a pair of upstanding spaced apart surfaces on the inner side of a first one of said jaws, said surfaces having an unobstructed space therebetween of sufficient size to receive a finger tip, means for supporting a roll of said tape in position wherein a length of the tape may be withdrawn under tension from said roll and disposed in a path extending across a first one of said surfaces then across said space and across the second one of said surfaces, said tape detachably adhering to said surfaces and the adherence thereof to said surfaces maintaining in relatively taut condition that portion of said tape bridgingsaid space, and a tape severing blade on the inner side of the second one of said jaws, said blade being moved into cutting contact with said bridged portion of said tape and into said space closely adjacent said second upstanding surface when said jaws are closed, the severed free-end portion of said tape thereupon being readily detachable from said second upstanding surface, the previously bridged portion of said tape remaining detachably adhered at one of its ends to said first upstanding surface and hanging freely in said space in position to be raised by a finger tip and thereupon to be grasped by the fingers preparatory to withdrawal of an- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,866,370 Pottern July 5, 1932 8 Witt Aug. 26, 1941 Gerbing July 19, 1949 Turner July 22, 1952 

